The Second Battle
by jamesalgamore
Summary: One year after the Battle Game, a dark force arises and threatens to take over the world. Can Ueki and his friends accept another responsibility to save the their loved ones?
1. Prologue

Hey there! This is my first authored story. Hope you'll like the plot even if I put a lot of words in them. Just try to read will all your might...

Just kidding! Read as you wish... (I'm so nervous!)

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Disclaimer: I do not own The Law of Ueki

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Prologue

From the Depths of the Lake

The moon shone brightly over a wide, deep lake in the middle of a dense forest. Its water was very still as if frozen, and also it was black. No signs of life can be spotted and the banks were dry and cracked. Any traces of civilization were miles away – the trees surrounding the lake were thick and tall, and were very close to each other that only the smallest of animals could penetrate through it. But still nothing did. The lake, uninhabited and unexplored, wasn't a place where people enjoyed swimming or where they took water. It wasn't where animals stopped to refresh themselves. It was something else…

As peaceful as the water was, the lake gave a feeling of death and suffering. The silence was full of deafening screams of agony and anguish. There was no life. Light only came from the moon, which was reflected clearly on the smooth surface of the water.

A faint purple light suddenly originated from the depths of the water at the center of the lake. It was gloomy and it gave an ominous glow. At first it was feeble as, if someone had dropped a flashlight through the liquid. But it continued to grow brighter and brighter. Something was rising from the lake. It came to a point where it was as if lightning struck the body of water – enormous beams of light were already escaping through the black surface. Whatever it was that was rising was almost out.

A bubble popped.

It was immediately followed by a myriad of bigger ones that sent splashes water flying through the air. The faint glow was no more – the light was already blinding. Wind howled furiously throughout the forest making trees outrageously twist and leaves rustle. A few black birds zoomed away from the woods and gave off loud shouts of warning. They knew that it was coming.

The sky was instantly covered with thunderous clouds that also completely covered the moon. Lightning broke and thunder roared breaking the wide silence that laid over the lake. At once, the whole area seemed to have been under a terrible storm – the black waters of the lake now seemed like an ocean full of angry, powerful waves; wind continued to blow harder than ever so that even a few trees had been uprooted; and worst of all the ground shook immensely and a loud rumbling was added to the noise.

A vast beam of light finally completely penetrated the lake and continued to rise endlessly towards the stormy sky. All conditions became worse and more grievously intense. As the light grew brighter, the water at the center of the water rose with great force.

There had been something that had just come out of the water.

When all of the water had finally cleared from the thing that had emerged from the depths of the lake, the light subsided a little revealing what seemed like a purple-glowing sphere, which seemed to have been the source of the immense light. With all of the disastrous ruckus that occurred at its surroundings, it looked like a sun at the middle of a great storm. It gave off a deadly aura and an enormous amount of energy was felt coming from it.

Slowly, the light grew weaker and weaker until the sphere of energy only gave off a bright purple glow. Lines subtly appeared on the surface of the sphere, following a vertical pattern. But after a while they became more distinct and thicker, as if they were carved. The sphere opened slowly following the lines that had just formed, and as it happened the light diminished until darkness took over. The wind had stopped howling, the earth was still once again, the sky returned to peace and the dark clouds thinned quickly until a clear night sky had shown.

When moonlight hit that something that came from the lake, it was no longer a giant ball of light – instead, a tall, dark, slim figure took its place. It looked like a person but there was just something that didn't make it quite _human_. It was standing on the water, which was now still as it was before the light appeared, as if it was studying its new surroundings. A pair of sharp, pointed eyes glistened from its head and immediately, it floated higher from the water. When it was already at a considerable altitude to perfectly examine the environment around, it rotated its body slowly to survey the dark lake and forest wherein he was floating. Although the moon only gave feeble light, it was enough for the strange being to see every little detail. It could nevertheless see in complete darkness.

Its eyes wandered toward the moon and a subtle twisted smile had appeared on its face. A hoarse, triumphant laugh erupted from the being, his voice was low and was mannish and somehow, the voice sounded evil. His laughter echoed gravely all throughout the thick forest.

He gained altitude again and but this time, the water below him was trembling immensely. His laughter died away and a intent glare was seen on his face. He faced north and charged for it. As if he had just been catapulted from the black waters of the lake, he flew at an incredible speed leaving a path of destruction in his wake – water vaporized into thin air and plants withered and died. So as he departed from the dense forest, he left the whole ground full of petrified, dead trees.

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Hmmm... who could this strange guy be?

well, i guess we'll find out together...at the next chapters (hopefully)...


	2. Chapter 1

Here again! here to provide you with something to read: hopefully... but here it is--chapter 1.

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Summary: The a year after the battle game, Ueki and Ai plan a reunion among their companions during the Battle game. However, only one came. Will it be a fun reunion?

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Chapter 1

The Incomplete Reunion

It was during midsummer, on an unusually hot morning, when a girl named Ai Mori was walking on a town square towards a very well known park in a town in Japan. She was carrying a large picnic basket with both of her hands as she struggled to move as fast as she could.

She was wearing a dark blue dress that danced gracefully behind her back with the wind blowing a gentle breeze from the direction she was heading to. The blazing rays of the sun made her bubblegum-blue hair and her red sunglasses, which she wore over her head like a hair band, stand out among the other people walking on the same street. She was running a bit late and she hoped that the people she was meeting hadn't left her out. Still, she knew this day was going to be special because this was the day she and her friends agreed to have a reunion.

_Its been a year since we met_, she thought excitedly. _I'm glad I'm about to see _those _guys again! _And she ran joyfully towards the entrance of the park. When she saw the park entrance, which had only been a few feet away, she immediately noticed a young man, with bright green hair and was wearing a plain white shirt, brown shorts and white shoes with no socks, standing groggily next to it. The boy had his head bowed deeply, which made Ai wonder why he was in an awkward posture as he was waiting for his other companions.

As she came next to the boy, who still hadn't noticed her presence, she saw that he also had his eyes closed and was snoring silently. The boy was asleep!

"Ueki!" yelled Ai and immediately the boy, whose name was Kosuke Ueki, ended up falling to the ground. He took another second but he got up slowly as he stared at Ai with blank, drowsy eyes.

"Oh, hi Ai," Ueki greeted sleepily. "What took you so long?"

"Cooking our lunch of course!" said Ai loudly, as she proudly showed Ueki the basket that she brought.

Ueki looked at it with a worried expression as he surreptitiously held his stomach and said, "It's not another one of your _creepy tentacle recipes, _is it?"

"Don't eat if you don't want to!" snapped Ai hastily as she took the basket away from Ueki's outstretched hands. "So what if there are tentacles? They're still delicious!"

"Calm down," laughed Ueki comically, "I was just joking!"

Ai snorted continuously as Ueki tried to grab the basket from her hands. "It wasn't funny," she said tauntingly still keeping Ueki's grasps from the picnic basket. "You can't have a look, it's a surprise!"

"Come on, Ai, let me have a—"

"Hey guys!" a voice called in front of them. Instantly, the two stopped bickering and went to look at where the voice came from. In front of them was a tall girl with long, vivid, pink hair tied in pigtails and extended to her front. She was bespectacled with horizontally rectangle glasses, and she was wearing a pink, striped blouse and exclusive white jeans. She also wore a friendly expression that made Ai and Ueki easily recognize who she was – Rinko Jerrard.

"Rinko!" Ai exclaimed as she finally dropped the basket to Ueki's hands and rapidly ran towards the girl and slowly embraced her at the chest. Rinko hugged her back and when they broke up, Ai said, "How are you?" There was a hint of longing in her voice. "I really missed you!"

"And I really missed you as well," said Rinko with a warm smile that reached to both of her ears. "Hi Ueki!"

Ueki, who had managed to fully examine the contents of the picnic basket already, turned to Rinko and also gave her a jubilant grin. "Hello, pinky! How are you?"

Rinko grimaced a little. "I see he hasn't changed at all," she sneakily said to Ai, who nodded in agreement, before returning to Ueki. "I'm really fine," she replied to him, "but I'm happier now since I saw you again! Had a fun summer lately?"

The three of them already entered the park and quickly resorted to a slow-paced walking. "Pretty normal…" Ueki said as Ai and Rinko listened, "…not as much fun as last year, though."

Rinko smiled warmly again, but Ai grimaced as if he was sick.

"Yeah," said Rinko, "this summer's been pretty _ordinary._"

"At least we don't have to risk our lives any more…" barked Ai silently, which was ignored by both Ueki and Rinko, who were both having reminiscences of the last summer that hey had.

The thing is, Ai, Ueki, Rinko, together with some other friends, had been part of a tournament called the Battle Game during last summer. But they weren't _just_ part of the game they – were the winners! As a result, they chose a heavenly being named Inumaru to be the next King of the Celestial World or the next god. Moreover, Ueki, being the leader of "Team Ueki," which was the name of their group, obtained the blank talent and he secretly chose the talent of reuniting friends.

But now, it was all just a memory that most of them simply loved to recall, excluding Ai of course since she wasn't originally a contender in the Battle game. But since she incidentally gained a power from Inumaru himself, she had been part of the game whether she liked it or not.

"Anyway," began Rinko, "I have some bad news."

Ueki looked at Rinko immediately and Ai stopped sulking to listen for a while. "Both Sano and Hideyoshi said they wouldn't be able to come today…they said they had some important stuff to do, but they didn't tell me what."

Seiichiro Sano and Soya Hideyoshi were also prominent parts of Team Ueki. But since they all separated, Ueki and Ai were the only ones who had easy contact to each other since they lived at the same town and they went to the same school at Hinokuni Junior High School.

"And I was really looking forward to seeing everybody again," sighed Ai sounding depressed.

"It's okay, Ai," said Ueki encouragingly. "If they can't come now, then I guess we'll run into them sooner or later."

"Yes, and Sano was just telling me that he was already able to find some pretty wonderful hot springs all over his travels," said Rinko happily.

"Really?" asked Ueki trying to recall when he and Sano first met. "That makes me want to see that towel boy once again!"

"I'm pretty excited as well!" said Rinko.

"What about Hideyoshi?" Ai wondered suddenly. "What's he been up to?"

Rinko put a finger on her temple and said: "Well actually, he's still running the old Sun house… The children there are really happy with him around, too. I guess he's just too busy to come, but don't worry, he said he'll be in touch soon."

The three of them reached a part of the park where hundreds of towering trees stood. If they hadn't known that they were in a park, they might have guessed that they were in some mini forest. They found a good spot to have a picnic and settled there, still telling stories of how each one's summer went.

"Actually," said Rinko while Ueki listened and Ai prepared the food (there really were squirming tentacles in each recipe, which made the other two anxious about lunch), "I've been having sewing lessons lately, you know, fabrics and needles, and—"

"Beads!" suggested Ueki. But then, as he spoke the word, Rinko's cheerful expression transitioned to a worried and wavering look. Ueki noticed this and wondered, "Uh, something wrong Rinko?"

Rinko who was oblivious to Ueki's stare rapidly looked up and changed her expression to a jovial one once more. "Oh, it's nothing really," she said with a small laugh. "I just remembered something, that's all."

"Okay guys," said Ai suddenly, holding out spoon each to Ueki and Rinko. "Let's eat!"

The other two were anxious and reluctant at first but after they ate their first bite, they continued all the same. They ate with much laughter and merriment as they continued to tell stories to one another. However, after they finished eating, they heard a loud explosion near by and the sound of birds fleeing from something.

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hmmm... what could that sound of explosion be?

Next: Battle Away from the Battle Game!


	3. Chapter 2

Welcome! Get your popcorn ready and enjoy the fight!

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Chapter 2

Battle away from the Battle Game

What was that!?" yelled Ai uneasily.

"It sounded like something exploded," said Ueki as he stood up and looked at the direction where they heard the noise. Smoke rose through the air from behind the tall trees.

Rinko looked more worried than ever as she rummaged through her pack and furiously tried to find something. At last she took out what seemed like a glove and she wore it on her right hand, although it did not quite cover Rinko's fingers completely. It had metal pieces at the palm and at the back of the hand. She took her pack again and looked for one more thing, with each second she looked more concentrated than ever.

Another explosion occurred, the noise seemed to be getting nearer and nearer each time.

"What's happening?" Ai wondered aloud.

"I don't know but it sounded like something's coming toward us!" shouted Ueki as he continued to look to the direction of the smoke.

Ai noticed the glove on Rinko's hand and finally, a small pouch that Rinko had just taken out.

"Hey, is that the glove you used in the battle game?" she asked confusedly. She remembered that the glove, which was made by Rinko herself, harnesses the power of the hand and also uses Rinko's powers to easily swat something away without giving her hand much stress. Ai also noticed that the small pouch contained beads. "And are those beads? What's going on here!?"

Ueki turned around and saw Rinko's gadgets. "What do you need that for?"

"Ueki, I'll explain later," she said brusquely. "Right now, we have to get out of here!"

"But why?" demanded Ai— _Boom! _There was another loud explosion.

The trees nearest them suddenly ignited up and were burned so easily like paper. The once tall, proud woods were now falling to the ground abnormally so easily. If a tree burned it should have been a while before it totally collapsed. But this was different – the trees were burning like matches! There was a dark figure that appeared beyond the burning trees – a person coming towards them. When he finally came close enough, the three recognized him at once – it was Mario of Team Caption from the battle game! But what was he doing here? Wondered Ai.

His face seemed blank as if he was hypnotized and from what Ueki can put together, he was the one who was causing the explosion.

Mario came closer and closer until he was an inch away from the burning trees, which had immediately fallen to the ground making the flames spread and grow even faster. At first Ai thought he would stop. However, he continued and Ai once again thought that he would burn. But she was wrong. The hot flames didn't seem to be affecting him as if they were the harmless air itself.

Suddenly, Ueki saw a small object shoot towards Mario. And at once a small explosion occurred at Mario's midsection. But it did not seem to have an effect on him. He continued to walk towards them. Ueki turned around and saw that familiar pose that Rinko did whenever he shot a bead towards an opponent (Rinko's power during the battle game was to turn beads into bombs). He knew then that it was her who shot the bead bomb to Mario's stomach.

"You can still turn beads into bombs?" Ueki asked, befuddled. "I thought our powers disappeared when the battle game ended?"

"Not now Ueki," snapped Rinko, her face full of nervousness. "This guy's after me." She stepped forward towards the strange guy that was coming close towards them. She immediately took another bead and aimed it at Mario. But as it exploded at his chest, it did not seem to be affecting him. "Darn it," murmured Rinko.

Ai was scared to death as she watched the burning trees in front of her. She thought that this kind of stuff had all been over when the Battle Game ended but here it was happening all over and over again.

Meanwhile, Ueki had been staring at the scene and was looking as if he was ready to fight once more. However, since the end of the game, he hadn't tested any of his sacred treasures, which were his powers since he was a heavenly being. He thought that since his power to turn trash into trees was gone, his sacred treasures would lose its power as well. And so he didn't go using his weapons for what could he use them for.

But now, he really needed it – Rinko might be in trouble.

The pink-headed girl sent more beads towards the guy that was charging for them. However, not one shot seemed to be disturbing him. It was as if an invisible barrier was protecting him. Finally, he stopped and looked as if he was conscious for the first time in their encounter, as he glared amusedly at Rinko who was now very frustrated.

"Come with me," Mario said in a deep, whispery voice.

"Never!" yelled Rinko. "Here's something that you might like – BEAD CANNON!"

A rain of glimmering beads instantly came from Rinko's fingers, which were now wearing little tubes that were just small enough to fit in her fingers. When the beads hit Mario, an enormous explosion instantaneously occurred around him. A huge puff of smoke rose through the air and obscured the fiery ground.

Rinko's eyes glistened with victory but the smoke clearing revealed an unharmed Mario, who was even scratching his neck in annoyance.

"Is that all you got?" he demanded jeeringly. "It's my turn – SUPER ATOMIC ROUND ATOMIC BALL SURPRISE!" he proudly shouted with all his might as he raised a hand to the direction of Rinko, who almost laughed at the name of Mario's weapon. 

_What kind of dumb name was that?_ But she was more concentrated in not getting killed.

An enormous wooden ball suddenly came out of nowhere and struck Mario flat in the face before he could even completely conjure whatever his weapon was and before he could even react. It all happened too fast. He then fell flat on the ground, unconscious – immediately all the flames that ate away the forest vanished leaving a very black scar on the park. 

_It was a Kurogane! _Thought Rinko.

She turned around and saw Ueki with his hands outstretched and a large cannon beside him just started to turn into a tree.

"Ueki!" she yelled in relief and she fell to her knees, glad that it was all over. "Thanks!"

Ai rushed to her and helped her stand on her feet. "What was that about?" Ai asked. She too, sounded relieved. Ueki helped Rinko stand up as well.

"I'll explain later," whispered Rinko. "Right now we have got to get out of here…before he wakes up and cause major havoc again."

"Right," said Ai and Ueki together.

The three of them sneakily left the park trying their best not to catch anyone's attention. Rinko was still weak and so Ai and Ueki had to guide her as they made their quick escape from the unconscious Mario.

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Well, that's all for now...What could happen next?

Next: The Jerrard Family Manor -- so let's pay a visit to where Rinko lives!


	4. Chapter 3

I hope I don't tire you with reading as much as I tired my characters with walking! But anyway, here it is!

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summary: after an unexpected fight, Rinko takes Ai and Ueki to her 'house'. but where? And more importantly, what does she know about the strange happenings?

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Chapter 3

The Jerrard Family Manor

After coming across a very strange encounter and narrowly escaping when the enemy was unconscious, the three of them went straight to a train station because Rinko invited them to her house, where she said she would explain everything.

Both Ueki and Ai seemed a little bit too shocked by the current events. Who would know that after a year of dormancy the contenders of the battle game could still use their powers? The previous god from Inumaru clearly stated in the rules of the Battle Game that after the tournament to find the next King of the Celestial World, their powers would disappear. But the way Rinko and Ueki used their powers once again was proof that he was wrong. But why _was_ he wrong?

Ai and Ueki demanded that Rinko told them immediately while on train but she refused to talk because _there were many unwanted ears_.

They simply waited impatiently as the scenery flashed and changed before the windows of the high-speed transportation. Finally, after almost an hour, they arrived at small station, wherein they were the only ones to leave the train.

The station looked deserted, quite opposite from the one they just come from. The paving of the floors were clearly old that the tiles were broken and rough. The brick building had some of its parts collapsed and the walls were cracked and dirty. At the front of the building was the name of the station, carved in thick letters, but the part of the sign that contained the name was broken so that it only showed "Sha— Train Station."

"Uh…" Ueki began, "are you sure we're on the right place, Rinko? This kind of reminds of the ghost town in heaven, there's no one in here…"

"Yeah, this place gives me the creeps," said Ai, looking at the empty, arid fields outside of the station. It looked like a desert but grassland at the same time. There were tall, yellow grass plants that stretched at most parts of the empty field like hay that was planted to the ground. There were no animals at sight, not even cattle or horses. And also there didn't seem to be any houses within the reach of their eyes. The place looked like an untamed one and apart from the rails of the train they had just come from, it seemed uncivilized.

"Don't worry guys," comforted Rinko with an amused smile. "I know where we are. Our place is just somewhere around here. Come follow me."

They followed Rinko from the station to a small, rocky, winding path that led up a small hill that neither Ai nor Ueki noticed earlier. The hill looked as parched as the empty field except for a long, tall hedge that stood at the top of it. 

_Why would there be a hedge at a place like this?_ Ai wondered.

The shrubs that formed it were emerald green as though it had an ample supply of water. Ai also wondered why it was the only green plant out there.

It was a very hot weather and so by the time the three of them reached the tall hedge, which they finally noticed extended along the slope of the hill, they were bathing in their own sweat, all except for Rinko who seemed undisturbed by the concentrated heat. Neither Ai nor Ueki knew what was at the other side.

"Okay guys," said Rinko enthusiastically, "we're nearly there."

"I didn't know you had a house at the middle of nowhere!" said Ai, fanning her face with her hand. " I can't take much longer of this heat!"

"How is it that you seem fine with the weather?" asked Ueki, his green hair glistening at the rays of the sun.

"Oh, This is where I spent my summer, silly," replied Rinko. "Now if you would just follow me… We're nearly there."

They descended the hill following the path of the tall, evergreen bush as their guide. It was long and winding. But at least it somehow managed to give them some cool, fresh air. The journey down the hill was a lot easier than going up, but the hedge was planted at a row of different hills that it seemed that the first hill they climbed was only a façade. Naturally, they climbed and went down at least four consecutive hills until they finally reached a gap in the hedge, where towering, golden gates were placed instead. The gate had a wonderful design but with holes that they were able to see what was at the other side of the hedge all along.

Both Ueki and Ai were awe-struck as they saw the scene through the golden gates. "This—this is your summerhouse?" gaped Ai as he saw the Jerrard's family manor.

It was no ordinary rest house the way others are. No. The whole estate was an entire valley itself! It started with the tall, golden gates, through which the three of them were surveying the vast compound right now. Then a well-paved path led from them through an amazing garden-road to a castle-like mansion that stood at the middle of the valley. _Castle-like, _Ai thought, since it was the biggest house she had ever seen in her life, not to mention the most prestigious and enchanting one that she had ever laid her eyes on. It was a palace of different shades of pink and white with incredibly carved designs and a majestic glow originated from it.

The house's doors weren't made of wood but glass that made the whole dwelling even more dazzling. It had two high turrets at the leftmost and rightmost of it which, Ai presumed, were amazing places to see a breath-taking views. The walls seemed to be made of sparkly bricks and the roofs of glossy, overlapping tiles. 

_There must be thousands of rooms in there! _Ai thought, hardly noticing that she was gaping, but noticing the huge size of it.

Ueki, on the other hand, noticed the equally amazing surroundings of Rinko's mansion. The well-paved path leading from the gates were nothing compared to the gardens that were located in front f the mansion. Even though it was summer, the gardens were over shining with hundreds and hundreds of rainbow flowers. The trees were great as well and they seemed to be giving the manor the breeze and shade it needed. There was also a small forest-like gathering of trees at the back of the house, and beyond that small forest was a glistening lake (or it could be an abnormally humongous swimming pool, Ueki cant tell), sparkling as the sun rays hit it. 

_Wow_, Ueki thought. _Everything's in here!_

That was how Ai and Ueki found out what was behind the tall hedge that they were passed by. They didn't know a few seconds ago…it hit them unprepared.

Rinko, who seemed less keen about the place, had been pressing buttons at a small device attached to the beside-hedge while the other two were lost in the manor's beauty. Before long, she pressed a final button and went to face her still-gaping companions.

"Sorry for making you wait, guys," she said politely.

"I knew you came from a rich family but I didn't know you were _this _wealthy!" Ai exclaimed.

"Yeah," agreed Ueki. "I guess before we finish walking to your house, it'll be night already—look at how far we are from it!"

Rinko just smiled. "Who said anything about walking?" she said with a mys­terious smirk and pushed another button on the device on the wall.

Neither Ai nor Ueki expected what happened next. They fell below the ground into an underground tunnel, right after Rinko pushed that last button and the ground beneath them opened suddenly. The tunnels were just wide enough to fit each of them—they were falling through different, individual ones.

Ai screamed all the way down; Ueki couldn't even utter a word because of shock; while Rinko just fell expressionlessly, amused with how astonished her friends were. Ueki felt that the tunnel where he was in curved outrageously into different patterns, and by the time he landed on a soft object, he was thoroughly dizzy. He opened his eyes, but he couldn't see anything. He heard someone fell beside him…then another.

And all of a sudden, a chandelier on the roof lighted the whole place. Ueki got up and saw Rinko and Ai sitting beside him. They had all fallen onto black, huge pillows that were gratefully soft.

Rinko got up and fixed the wrinkles on her closed, and then turned to the other two. "Sorry about that," she said. "I didn't warn you about the fall."

Ai got up, also fixing her clothes. "Don't worry about it." She said, taking a deep breath. "I'm just glad all of these is over!"

"Are you okay, Ueki?" asked Rinko.

Ueki was looking at the room they were in. "WOW!" he exclaimed, which made Ai and Rinko jump. "This place is beautiful!"

Ai looked around as well, and she had almost the same reaction as Ueki, only that she didn't speak. She found herself once again in a place that she had never seen before—she fell in love with room for it was absolutely splendid and the exquisite carved designs on the walls and the colorful curtains and the beautifully tiled floor and the marvelous chandelier and the extravagant furniture and the comfortable aura itself that the room gave off were very much inviting.

A man with a shaped goatee entered the room suddenly and ushered them out of the room at once. It seemed to Ueki that he was some kind of butler as he called Rinko "miss".

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That's it for now. What ever are they gonna do?

Next: Sawing Class and what happened after That


	5. Chapter 4

Here again! So Chapter 4 already? Haha, well hope you're still with me...if there really are any of you.

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Summary: Who knew that the powers of Rinko and Ueki have not disappeared since the Battle game? Well, they didn't and they don't know why. And who is attending sawing classes?

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Chapter 4

Sewing Class and What Happened After That

"I think that room surprised me more with its beauty than the drop itself!" exclaimed Ai.

They were riding and elevator going up to the house, as Rinko had said. She ex­plained that the room was a waiting room for any visitors of hers and that it was just newly installed. Moreover, she said that she was getting tired of having to ride all the way to the house from the gates the ordinary way and she wanted something more exciting.

Therefore, she had 'The Drop' and the room and the elevators made a few weeks ago, following all of the original plans that she made herself. (Don't forget that Rinko was also a very consistent inventor of cool objects such as her gloves and her rocket boots.)

Ueki had the strange feeling that they were riding a very special kind of lift since it felt like it wasn't consistently going up—sometimes they were going sideways and down then up again. But the ride was smooth all the same.

When the doors finally opened, they step­ped out and squinted because of the sunlight that their eyes had forgotten (it was terribly dimmer down the Waiting Room and inside the elevator than out in the open).

But when they became used to it once again, there was no mistaking that they were already at the front doors of the great pink mansion of the Jerrards, which just a while ago they saw from the golden gates, which was far behind them now shining at the top of the hill. Any heat they experienced there was gone in relief, and they can't help no­ticing that the weather was very nice down there at the valley.

The butler, having gone with them in the elevator, led them to the front doors (there were two of them, of course), which by the way was huger than what Ai and Ueki saw from afar.

He led the three into the house and into an upstairs room at the end of the first hall they passed. When they entered the room, the butler didn't go with them and he closed the door gently behind them. They were in a room big enough for half of a basketball court to fit in and Ai and Ueki thought they were in some kind of great living room, but Rinko said that it was unfortunately her room. The other two had already seen the real living room downstairs, which was unbelievably spacious and so was the whole manor itself and so they were not surprised that this was Rinko's room—and also her workshop. They were now more interested in what Rinko had to say to them.

"I suppose you two are both wondering why Mario (you know from Team Cap­tion, the one which turns himself into a giant billiard ball and calls his attacks something silly all the time) attacked us there—" Rinko began after they had seated their selves on a very soft couch and had some hot tea and biscuits "—and why I, and Ueki for sure, could still use our powers during the battle game."

The other two just nodded silently and sipped some of their drink.

"Well," said Rinko, "to start with, I didn't know that I could still use my power to change beads into bombs since something happened a fortnight ago. I mentioned that I've been trying to find something to do all summer to fight my boredom, right? Well, one of the things I tried was sawing. And for sure I was really interested to do something mild and rewarding at the same time, after those strenuous battles we fought. So I did my best to learn how to sew and when I could finally do all those hard stitches and strokes and all that, I started to mix it with a little craft like cross-stitching and making handicrafts. One time, me and my teacher, who is also one of our housekeepers, did something with beads" (Ai's and Ueki's ears both moved) "and it was all fun because I got to play _harmlessly_ with the weapon I used last year. And so I took some hard cloth and attached some beads to it to form a pattern. When I finished the whole thing (it took me three days since there really small beads), I gave it to Mrs. Porcle, my teacher, to be framed.

"But after I handed it to her and she was at the door to put it in her room, some—something ha—ha—happened," Rinko's eyes suddenly filled with tears and she drooped her head to wipe them of, but she was already crying terribly that just continued to speak. "Something awful happened…the beads in the cloth that I gave her suddenly blew up in her face and the explosion was terrible!"

Rinko wiped her tears again but more came. "I was confused on what happened but I called the butler just in time to get to the hospital. She's still in a horrid state right now, and I can't believe it's my fault!

"Of course, I didn't know what had happened at first, but then, when I came to think about it, I figured it was the beads that blew up. I wasn't sure. So I went down at the forest at the back of this house and I brought some beads with me—the same ones I used in the craft—and I tried to turn them into bombs. You can't imagine how I felt when a whole tree exploded after I threw a bead to it while doing the condition I had to do to turn them into beads! And so then I knew it was all _my_ fault."

"Don't be too hard on yourself, Rinko," said Ai. "It was an accident, and it surely wasn't your fault!"

"She's right," Ueki agreed intently, with stern eyes this time.

Rinko wiped the last of the tears and faced them again with a straight face. "I didn't try to use my power any more because more people might get hurt. And I also realized that, if the rules of the Battle Game still apply, then I just lost a talent, and if I hurt any more people, even accidentally, I'll eventually vanish.

"I refrained to see anymore beads…but still I couldn't help think that there is some strange reason why our powers came back, so I went ahead and brought a whole pouch with me while I went to visit Hideyoshi and Sanno to tell about them the reunion we were having. And after I visited both, whom you know failed to come, I decided to just go home.

"And that's when Mario suddenly came from nowhere and attacked me! Good thing I was walking through a deserted garden when that happened, and surely I was relieved that I brought my bead pouch with me and so I got to defend myself. I didn't see any more of him after I narrowly escaped, again, until this morning during our obviously-failed reunion"

They looked at each other for a while then suddenly, Ai spoke: "Did he still have the power to turn himself into a giant ball when he attacked you? Because he attacked us with what he threatened "Atomic Ball?" But the trees were on fire! Was it him who caused that?"

Rinko looked thoughtful and drank a sip of her own tea. "She attacked me with a gigantic ball of fire, just like what she did to the trees" she said. "But he didn't turn into the fire ball himself—it came from his hand."

"But that wasn't his power, was it?" said Ueki, and his eyes looked deep. "Was it his level two power then?"

"I doubt that it was his level two," said Rinko. "For one thing, he didn't seem to be afraid of hurting other people—as if he didn't care about his talents at all. For another, If it were his level two, then it is more likely that after he turns himself into a ball, then he'll be able to set fire on himself. But the huge fireballs _came from_ his hands."

"And there's the matter of what he said to you. 'Come with me,' he said in a different voice from what I remember," said Ai. "And it seemed that he wasn't his real self at all. If I remember it correctly, he was that sort of guy who thinks he _is_ smart but not really."

"Actually," said Ueki. "I think he is more powerful now, and could have defeated us if we stayed and fought."

"As if he can defeat a Ten-star Heavenly Being!" exclaimed Ai.

"Actually, I thought I lost my sacred weapons as well as my power when the battle game ended," said Ueki.

"Could he be in a trance?" suggested Rinko, sinking lower down the sofa. "You know, like being hypnotized? And what in the world could he want from _me_?"

"We can't tell that for sure," said Ai, staring out the large glass windows. It had been noon when they had arrived, but the sun was now far west and getting ready to set. "Wait a minute, why did both of your powers return in the first place?"

"_Mine_ returned," said Rinko softly. "But I think Ueki's never really vanished, with his being a heavenly being and all."

"Well, I never tried to use them again since the battle with Annon," said Ueki with a small laugh, as he rubbed the back of his spiky head. "I was sort of afraid I'd hurt someone innocent and lose another talent. I only have two left, you know."

"Well, I can't blame you for that," said Rinko.

"Neither can I," agreed Ai. "That's why I was so surprised this morning when that Kurogane fired at Mario, but I'm glad it did."

"Does that mean all power users got their powers back?" wondered Rinko, and she and Ueki looked rather curiously at Ai.

"You don't seriously mean me?" exclaimed Ai jerking back a bit. "Why would my irritating power be returned to me?"

"That's the point," said Rinko. "We have to know if you still have your power. By that way, we could be sure that all of the others got theirs back too."

Ueki stood up and faced both of them and did some stretches. "Well, Ai," he said, still exercising, "come on, make me fall in love with your glasses!" And he did the goody-two-shoes pose, which was the condition to be fulfilled for Ai's Power to work. "I'm ready now!"

"I'm not going to try!" hissed Ai. "By all we know, it could just be some weird side effect."

"But Ai, you need to understand that we need this information badly," said Rinko calmly. "If we prove that you can use your power, then there is a great chance Sanno and Hideyoshi can, too. Then we can find them and maybe one of them will know something about this strange things, before Mario finds us again…or some other power user out to get us. I have this strange feeling _he's _not the only one that's gone insane"

"And I also want to be in love with your sun glasses!" said Ueki excitedly. "I've always wanted to try it out."

Rinko laughed but Ai gave him a stern look. "Okay, fine," she said. "But not tonight. I'm awfully tired, but I wonder how we'll get home."

"Oh, don't be silly," snapped Rinko. "Of course you can stay here. Why else would I have invited you here but to treat you as guests! And—oh—don't worry that much, I'll accompany you to the phone later so you can phone them and tell you where you are."

Ueki was a bit disappointed by Ai's refusal but cheered up as soon as he heard they were going to try tomorrow. The butler, whose name was Mr. Moruki, came dashing into the room as soon as Rinko politely called for him.

Ai stayed behind because Rinko insisted that she must stay and sleep with her at her room, but Ueki was given his own. They were brought their fresh clothes and after that some dinner to go with. Ueki thought it was scrumptious and he fell asleep at once. Rinko and Ai chatted for some more minutes before finally dozing off.

All three of them felt quite satisfied with their conversation because they knew that they'd know what was happening soon enough.

* * *

Well, I hope I can write more! But what will happen next? Let's find out together...(again)...

Next: The Black Men from Heaven


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